Sports nutrition for beginners
Before we dive into all the supplements in detail, it is important to note some sports nutrition tips. You shouldn't compare yourself to professional athletes. The cabinets of some of them are filled to capacity with various additives that differ from each other in their effects. They use so much sports nutrition because their bodies have already achieved maximum results, and it will be impossible to surpass it with just simple food. Sports nutrition for a beginner should only serve as a support, and you should not focus on it.
Protein or gainer?
All beginners, without exception, have a reasonable question at first: where to start taking sports nutrition? It's actually quite simple here. The main goal of any gym goer is to gain muscle mass. And nothing can cope with this task better than a gainer or protein. Choosing between them is the first stage in introducing novice athletes to sports nutrition.
Gainer and protein, although they perform the same function, differ from each other not only in composition, but also in their principle of action. Gainer is a complex supplement that contains a large amount of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. In addition, it often includes vitamin and mineral complexes, additional components to improve digestibility and other ingredients. It is distinguished by its high calorie content, often high sugar content, and large portions. Gainers are best suited for those who have trouble gaining weight or are naturally thin. With its help, total body weight is gained, which is what we need at first.
Protein, on the contrary, contains a minimum of ingredients, and is presented in the form of one type of protein (usually). We won’t go into detail about each type of protein, let’s just say that it is necessary for gaining pure muscle mass. These supplements are low in calories, rarely contain additional ingredients, and are easily absorbed by the body. They are best consumed by those who have a fuller physique, or those who want to gain only pure muscle mass.
Sports nutrition for beginners should start with these two supplements - they are the main ones in terms of weight gain.
Supplements for Beginners
First of all, there will be no effect if a large amount of calories is not supplied; a gainer is an excellent assistant for this. During the growth period, it is recommended to take vitamins and minerals.
Recommended and not recommended sports nutrition for a beginner
| Sports nutrition for beginners | Recommended | Not recommended |
| Protein | Complex protein – contains all types of protein (fast and slow) | Casein and whey protein are suitable for more professional athletes |
| Amino acids | BCAA - to speed up recovery | Complex acids, arginine, taurine will not have much effect for a beginner |
| Creatine | Creatine monohydrate – suitable for weight gain | Creatine hydrochloride |
| Pre-workout supplements and energy drinks | The most you can do is caffeine | The cardiovascular system is not yet adapted to stress |
| Vitamins and minerals | Essential for athletic progress | Possible without ZMA |
| Gainers | Low protein and high calorie | Low calorie or high protein |
| Fat burning drugs | L-carnitine to speed up metabolism | Fat burners are not recommended |
| Testosterone boosters | Not necessary | Not recommended at the first stage of training |
| Omega 3 fats | Promotes muscle growth | Supplements containing “bad” fats are not recommended |
From the table we see that in order to more quickly adapt a beginner to the world of sports, it is recommended to take sports nutrition, namely: complex protein, gainer, creatine monohydrate and vitamins.
Protein
Of course, a beginner needs protein (proteins) first of all, both during the process of gaining weight and during fat burning. Remember once and for all: muscles are protein, and therefore no protein means no muscles. The difference in protein choice will depend only on your final goals.
Sports protein is a protein supplement for gaining muscle mass. The source of raw materials is water, casein and cow's milk whey.
If you are gaining weight and at the same time belong to the so-called ectomorphs (thin physique), then, in fact, it does not matter to you what protein you consume. The most suitable foods will be those that, in addition to proteins, contain some amount of carbohydrates and fats. This combination allows you to better absorb the final amount of protein. A good example of such a protein is SYNTHA-6 from BSN. If you are struggling with subcutaneous fat, then it is better to give preference to the so-called isolates. Their total fat and carbohydrate content is negligible.
Many thin beginners are afraid of gaining an excessive percentage of fat, as a result of which they also lean on isolate proteins. This is a fundamentally wrong decision, since thinness is caused by a banal lack of energy, i.e. – absence of fats and carbohydrates.
Speaking in general terms, it is thanks to these components that people gain weight, not proteins.
Gainer
The word gainer comes from the English. gain - to receive. Surely you have heard the bodybuilding proverb: “no pain - no gain”, which can be translated as “no pain - no gain”. In principle, the statement is correct, because pain accompanies muscle failure, depletion of ATP and CP reserves, etc., but this does not apply to gainers. This is an ordinary protein-carbohydrate mixture intended for people who just can’t gain muscle mass. In addition, gainers are considered the best post-workout supplements, because after the end of a workout, our body needs a record amount of carbohydrates.
Gainer is a sports supplement that is used by athletes to increase muscle mass and as an additional energy source.
It is worth noting that those who are struggling with an excessive percentage of subcutaneous fat should not take gainers around the clock. The only allowed intake is immediately after training. As for the favorite ectomorphs and hardgainers, they can add a gainer to every meal. Weight gain is guaranteed. Choose only those products that have a decent proportion of carbohydrates relative to a single serving (at least 50 grams).
Isotonics
These products are best known as carbohydrate drinks. It is worth noting that they are suitable for both people losing weight and gaining weight. Their main purpose is to provide energy to muscle fibers during prolonged physical activity. Simply put: you need to drink them during training.
With the depletion of glycogen reserves in the muscles, the body begins to secrete cortisol, which tries to obtain energy in the most barbaric way - to disassemble muscle protein into glucose. This is why it is important to monitor your energy metabolism.
In addition, normal glycogen levels will allow you to recover faster after heavy physical activity, because again, energy metabolism will be in order. If you take them only during training, then the risk of gaining excess fat is simply zero.
Our editors recommend you drinks that we personally use: Vitargo Electrolyte and Olimp CarboNox from OSN.
Vitamin and mineral complexes
Perhaps this supplement is more important than all of the above. Many people pay attention to fats, proteins and carbohydrates, completely forgetting about vitamins and minerals, but the overall absorption of these substances depends on them. In addition, vitamins play a key role in the entire body, because they are involved in almost all life processes: from muscle contractions to the digestion of complex foods.
BCAA or complex amino acids?
Our body contains very interesting substances – amino acids. They perform a variety of functions in the body, and without them normal life activity is impossible. In fact, protein in the body is not the final product. During the process of breakdown, it is transformed into amino acids, from which the muscles of our body are built. But what, then, is the difference between BCAA and complex amino acids and how to choose sports nutrition for a beginner?
There are several differences between them. Firstly, complex supplements also contain BCAA, but in much lower concentrations. The main function of BCAA is to maintain and increase muscle mass, as well as reduce the percentage of body fat. Complex amino acids are more tuned to maintain a positive amino acid and energy balance in the body. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally which sports nutrition is better for a beginner of these two. In this matter, everyone must decide for themselves, focusing on their goals.
Learn all about BCAA powder as the most convenient form of essential amino acids!
Sports nutrition for beginners during the drying period
Those who have gone through a period of weight gain, and now want to “replenish” their muscles as much as possible, through a strict low-carbohydrate diet - drying the body, it is most rational to consume protein and amino acids.
Let us explain: at the drying stage, our body is acutely short of carbohydrates and energy, and in order to function normally, this energy is produced by destroying muscles and fat. If you do not consume enough protein during the drying period, you will lose all your muscles along with fat and become an ordinary skinny guy. But to prevent this from happening, so that the fat is burned and the muscles remain, beginners need to consume protein and amino acids.
Sports nutrition is a special group of food products produced primarily for people leading an active lifestyle and playing sports.
Moreover, during the drying period, the time of protein consumption during the day and, in fact, the type of protein used are of great importance:
- Whey protein is needed in the morning and after training
- You need BCAA's before and during your gym sessions.
- Before going to bed, you need to consume casein protein (which is absorbed over a long period of time and thus supplies your body with protein throughout the entire sleep phase, preventing the destruction of muscle fibers).
Vitamins and minerals – only a complex!
To support vital processes, the body uses energy obtained from food. But the body will not function properly if it does not have a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. These substances participate in absolutely all internal metabolic processes, and also affect the processes of growth, development, respiration, hematopoiesis, and so on. Therefore, if you are interested in what kind of sports nutrition a beginner needs, then vitamin-mineral complexes are definitely what should be in your arsenal! Here we can say even more - they are necessary for any person, even those who do not play sports.
Athletes need these substances in increased quantities. During heavy physical work, all internal processes accelerate. Accordingly, the consumption of vitamins and minerals also accelerates. In addition, some minerals leave the body with sweat, and due to their lack in the body, many negative processes can occur.
Which supplements to choose based on your body type?
Ectomorph – tall, thin build, minimal level of body fat.
People with this body type find it difficult to gain muscle mass, for this reason the best sports supplements for them would be:
- Gainer.
- Protein.
- Creatine.
Attention! Ectomorphs should beware of fat burners.
Mesomorph - average height and excellent metabolism. Such people have the best initial base for playing sports. They are physically gifted. Building muscle mass is not a problem for this body type; to improve results, it is recommended to take:
- Protein.
- Gainer.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes.
Endomorph - people with a slow metabolism. With enough self-control, they can easily achieve the same body as mesomorphs, but outside the regime, their body quickly increases fat tissue in the body.
Representatives of this type quickly gain extra pounds, for this reason the following supplements are suitable for them:
- Fat burners.
- L-carnitine.
- Amino acid complexes.
Read in our materials how to properly organize nutrition for an endomorph and choose sports nutrition.
Sports nutrition tips
Sports nutrition for beginners – what to look for? First you need to decide what goals you are pursuing. Most inexperienced athletes, already in the first days of training, try to extract from experienced bodybuilders the “secrets” of quick pumping, and what kind of sports nutrition is needed for this. As a result, having heard a lot of useless advice from a “pumped up” but uninformed athlete, beginners go to stores and waste money. And the first advice for beginners will be a recommendation - forget about all the “miracle” methods! Of course, sports nutrition will help you achieve your goal. But here the emphasis is on the word “help”. It won't do all the work for you. If you want to get the body of your dreams, then be prepared to spend more than one, or even two years on it. And only then will you be able to see real results.
Go ahead. Never, under any circumstances, call sports nutrition chemicals. In fact, all sports nutrition is regular food. Not quite ordinary, but food. Sports nutrition is a concentrated form of everything you consume in your diet. And all this is obtained from organic and natural sources. Sports nutrition has some advantages over regular food, but it will never completely replace natural food! Therefore, remember rule No. 2 - sports nutrition is food that should be eaten in moderation.
What additional sports nutrition should a beginner take?
Once you are quite comfortable in the gym, learn how to do the exercises correctly, and your first muscle mass begins to appear, then you can start thinking about other wonders of sports nutrition. There are several other sports supplements that have proven to be effective and work well for certain purposes. So let’s look at which sports nutrition is better to take extra for muscle growth...
Creatine. This is one of the cheapest, but at the same time effective aids for athletes. It performs several functions at once - it increases strength and endurance, and also has an indirect effect on the growth of muscle mass. Creatine is a substance that can be independently synthesized by the body, but in insufficient quantities. Taking it additionally will only enhance its effectiveness and have a positive effect on the general condition of your body. It makes explosive training much easier and gives you more strength during training.
Pre-workout complexes. They often contain creatine, stimulants and other ingredients. Their effect is that they allow the body to use additional sources of energy during training, and also stimulate the central nervous system. As a result, your brain thinks that you are not tired longer and that you still have a lot of energy for training.
Nitrogen donors. Their effect is that they dilate blood vessels, due to which the muscles visually increase. This allows more blood and nutrients to pass through the vessels, which also improves muscle recovery.
Other Workout Supplements
There are two other supplements that can help beginners improve their workouts.
Pre-workout supplements
They fully live up to their name. Pre-workouts are taken before class to increase training productivity. It is recommended to drink this supplement half an hour before training. It is a mixture of various components, the most popular being: caffeine, L-tyrosine, creatine nitrate, beta-alanine, arginine.
The main advantage of pre-workout supplements is the energy they provide the body. The cost of the supplement is high, and the components it contains are found in other products, so sometimes it makes more sense to stick to them.
Glutamine
Promotes better recovery after physical activity. It is recommended to take it after completing a workout, which will help you experience less pain and speed up the healing process. If you recover faster, it means you can return to classes faster.
The only disadvantage of glutamine is its high cost, but otherwise the athlete receives only benefits. The use of this supplement helps strengthen the body, minimize pain, and remove excess ammonia from the body.
Supplements to Boost Testosterone
Testosterone levels inevitably decline in men as they age. It can be increased by taking certain medications. They stimulate the body's natural production of this hormone, which can provide many benefits to exercise.
Such preparations are produced based on natural ingredients. They stimulate libido and provide a surge of energy, helping to build muscles. The downside is that the increase in testosterone is not very significant.
If the drug is taken uncontrollably, an excess of the hormone occurs, the man becomes more aggressive, acne and baldness appear.
ZMA
It is a supplement for increasing strength and anabolic hormone levels. ZMA is not a testosterone-increasing drug, but taking it has been shown in studies to keep testosterone levels high during exercise.
This sports nutrition improves the speed and time of recovery processes, stimulates the production of androgenic testosterone, as well as an increase in muscle volume. If you exceed the dosage, excess minerals and vitamins accumulate in the body.
